US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, March 3, his threat to sever trade ties with Spain , considering it a “non-cooperative” country in the context of the attacks against Iran , for not allowing US military aircraft to use the Rota and Morón air bases .

The statements were made at the White House , where he also hinted that he may have urged Israel to act swiftly in Operation Epic Fury , which resulted in multiple bombings on Iranian territory and caused the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei , as well as 48 senior commanders of the Persian nation.

“I may have forced their hand [Israel’s]. We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first if we didn’t… They were going to attack first. I was very much convinced of that,” Trump told reporters during an appearance at the White House alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz , whose visit had been scheduled long before the attack on Iran.

Regarding Ayatollah Khamenei , Trump stated that “the leader of the pack is gone,” and claimed to have information from key figures in the Iranian regime who would be willing to accept amnesty and lay down their arms. He also indicated that, in his opinion, the worst-case scenario would be if the new leader who replaces Khamenei were “worse than him.”

Trump —who also predicted a third round of attacks— indicated that several European countries have been cooperative, such as Germany , but that he cannot say the same about Spain or the United Kingdom .

In Trump’s eyes, Spain is a “terrible” ally, and he recalled that Spain was the only NATO member country that did not commit to allocating 5% of its Gross Domestic Product to fund the organization. In that regard, Merz stated, along with Trump, that they are working to “convince” Spain to contribute that 5%.

In the case of the United Kingdom , the White House occupant’s displeasure revolves around the agreement reached by Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘s government with Mauritius to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands . Starmer presented the pact as a way to preserve the status of the joint UK-US air base on Diego Garcia , part of the Indian Ocean archipelago , a territory that Trump considers strategic because it houses this military installation.

Regarding the military operation in Iran , Starmer said he did not believe “in regime change from the skies.” Trump, for his part, responded that unfortunately “we are not in the era of Winston Churchill .”

The hearing concluded with Merz ‘s statement , in which he asserted that he was “on the same page as Trump” regarding the next scenario for Iran, and stressed the need to develop “a strategy” for when that time comes.